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@Hitch gisting @anni @fitta EBENEZER Gr. LAMSON, OF SHELBURNE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS. Letters Patent No. 62,640, dated IIm'cL 5, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN TABLE FORKS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Bc it known that I, EBENEZER G. LAMsoN, of Shelburne Falls, in' the county of Franklin, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful improvement in the manner of making Table Forks of Wire; and I do hereby declare thel following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thc manner of doing the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a finished fork.

Figure 2 represents one of the ferrules in section, to show the position of the tines in it. l

My invention consists in making table forks out-ot' wire, and so that the wire shall constitute the shank of the fork, and the means ofuniting the fork to its handle.l v

To enable others skilled in the art to makevand use my invention., I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

I taken piece of steel wire, a a, and by means of formers, bond or curve it around the handled from end to end. The handle which may be of wood, horn, bone, ivory, pearl, or other suitable material, h as a groove cut around it longitudinally, into which the wire sinks so asvto hold it rmly. The wire having been drawn tightly around the handle, is brought together at the end nearest the tines, and is there fastened by pinning, twisting, soldering, or by a ferrule, (Z, the ends of the wire projecting still further, so as to form the shank c, and two of the tines e. From the ferrule CZ, or other fastening at that point, the wires project ir. a straight or curved line or lines, at pleasure, parallel or twisted together, and for a suitable distance, when they separate, as at f, and are formed into two tines, e. These two tines may constitute a two-tined fork; or, if more than two tines are required, then the two tines e may constitute the outer on es of the series; and when intermediate tines, z., are used, a ferrule, g, is put around the place where the tines separate, and by a blow from a drop or punch press, with dies of suitable shape, and while the tines are held in their proper places, thevmetal is set down around the wires, making the tines and ferrule or bolster iirmly clamped together. Or the ferrule g may be illed with solder when heated, or may be made'in two pieces and pinned together, and fastened rmly hy a drop or power press. Or, instead of a ferrnle, tine wiremay be wound tight-ly around the large wire, and the fork may be so constructed that the same device which holds the tines together shall also hold the wire firmly around the handle. When two intermediate tines are used, they may be made of one piece, as being stronger and more easily and rmly fastened in; or theyv may be in separato pieces, as a single tin-e would be in making athree-tine fork. There are several important advantages gained in constructing a table fork of wire7 among which may be mentioned Cheapness of construction; their superior strength and durability as compared with punched-out forks; the tines are smoother and are more readily cleaned; there is no loss of metalin making the fork, whilst in ordinary forks all the metal that is punched out between the tines and elsewhere is lost; there is no pohssibility of the handle and fork separating, as in ordinary forks.

What T claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-.

A table fork made of wire, substantially as herein described.

E. G. LAMSON.

Witnesses:

Hanny Wannnnn,

W; HAwLnY. 

